Prince Albert II attended the opening of a free outdoor photography exhibition on Wednesday 8th April at the Jardins Saint-Martin on the Rocher, marking the second edition of a competition inviting young people aged 11 to 25 to explore the theme of heritage under threat.

The exhibition, organised by the Direction des Affaires Culturelles, displays 15 selected photographs on the railings of the Saint-Martin gardens and will remain on view until 4th October 2026 — the date of the European Heritage Days in the Principality.

The theme

This year’s competition asked participants to consider the threats facing both tangible and intangible cultural heritage: climate change, natural disasters, urbanisation, mass tourism and shifting social patterns. Tangible heritage encompasses architecture, works of art, archaeological sites and historic landscapes; intangible heritage includes language, traditions, gastronomy, performing arts and artisanal crafts. The theme gave young entrants the opportunity to reflect on what heritage means to them and how it might be preserved.

The competition ran from 15th January to 15th March and drew entries from across the Principality’s youth community.

The jury and the prize-winners

The selection jury included Stéphane Bern, one of France’s most prominent voices on heritage preservation, and internationally renowned photographer and documentary maker Nick Danziger, alongside several figures from Monaco’s cultural world. From all submissions, 15 photographs were chosen for the exhibition.

Three special Jury Favourite prizes, one in each age category, were presented by Prince Albert II at the inauguration. The winners were Stacy Formosa (11–14 years) for Ma chère Principauté, Anne-Sophie Théroué (15–18 years) for Mémoire fragile derrière une grille, and Elisa Fabris Lagrassa (19–25 years) for A lenga munegascu ün periculu — a title in the Monegasque language that translates as “the Monegasque language, a danger.”

The exhibition is free and open to the public on the railings of the Jardins Saint-Martin until 4th October 2026.